Doug Lemov's field notes

Reflections on teaching, literacy, coaching, and practice.

05.22.20 Excerpt: The Coach’s Guide to Teaching

I’m closing in on my manuscript deadline on my new book, The Coach’s Guide to Teaching. The sense of urgency–some might call it desperation–is palpable. But I’ve just finished Chapter 4, which is about Checking for Understanding. Here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite. Hope you enjoy John Wooden was among the greatest coaches of the…


06.21.16 Tracking, Not Watching: A Field Guide 2.0 Excerpt

One of the most important skills for any teacher or coach is observing during independent practice. It’s one of the keys to Checking for Understanding. Joaquin Hernandez, Jen Kim and I put some new framing on this critical topic in the 2.0 version of the Teach Like a Champion Field Guide, which comes out in September. …


12.05.14 Annals of Coaching: A Brief Reflection on Selflessness, Ego and John Wooden

I’ve been reflecting this morning on sideline behavior. My colleague Chris Condron, a coach and PE teacher in New jersey, was commenting on the culture of screamers among many college coaches–how there’s a culture that valorizes behavior on the sidelines that we should probably be able to see is counter-productive. And, Chris posited, those behavioral norms then…


04.22.13 Reading Up on Wooden

My colleague Joaquin Hernandez has been reading back through some studies on John Wooden’s coaching. Here are four interesting points from Joaquin’s notes. The last one is my favorite: When Correcting, Sandwich the Model (M+, M-, M+): When you spot an error, stop the player and model how to perform the move correctly (M+), show them how…